


Death, You Vulture

by melodramatic



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Death (no major characters), Fluff, Foul Language, M/M, Smut, The Underworld, Tyler is the Grim Reaper, Violence (not very graphic), fictional universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-15 06:18:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10551494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodramatic/pseuds/melodramatic
Summary: When Death's hands touched the pulsating sphere in front of him, he could see everyone and everything.He had all of the answers.And only one of them would come to bring him warmth.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A prolouge of sorts

There was no cold as biting as the cold in The Underworld. 

The silence rang so loudly throughout the land that anyone who was cursed to spend the rest of their eternity down there usually didn't last more than a few weeks before they laid down in defeat and allowed the rotting vines and dead leaves to encompass their body and fill them with sorrow.

The only actual living being in The Underworld was Death himself, and Death found it rather ironic. 

Death sat down on his rotting throne and looked down at his feet, trying to keep himself from thinking too much as he placed his hands on the warm sphere on a table in front of him.

Suddenly a map of the Overworld with scattered red dots around different countries appeared before him. He sighed. The perspective contracts were getting fewer and fewer these days. Not many people attempted to summon Death anymore, and really, he should've been pleased: he preffered staying down in the Underworld in silence. 

But he had a job to do. 

Not only did he need to appear to the summoners, but he had to track every individual on the Earth and make sure they each met their end accordingly. It was busy, but it was all he had.

So Death closed his eyes and focused on the energy inside of himself, sending out several manifestations of himself to respond to the summoners. They would make the contracts, decide a fair price and return to him, giving him all of the knowledge from the deal.

He opened his eyes and looked at the map. Out of the several red dots, there was one yellow dot that blinked. 

Death touched the center of the sphere with his index finger and thumb, then spread them out as if he were zooming in on a screen. The map went closer and closer into the yellow dot, until he was seeing the street that the yellow dot was blinking on. 

It appeared to be in Ohio. Interesting. He hardly ever had people from Ohio attempt to summon him. 

He moved his hands over the sphere, so that he could now see inside the house, and inside a small room. There was a rather simple drum kit in the corner of the room, and a boy with dark blue hair that had candles lit in a circle around the foot of his bed. 

It was the same thing everyone else did to summon him, but there was something different about this kid's summoning. He didn't  have a picture of a victim that he wanted dead. Sometimes people had pictures of themselves, and sometimes they had pictures of others, but they never didn't have a picture. 

Or if they did, Death usually would not respond to them. It was not the proper ritual.

Death was about to zoom back out of the boy's room when he began to speak.

He chanted the usual chant, but then clasped his hands together as if he were praying. 

And Death did not approve of that.

"I have a proposition for you," The boy said aloud to the darkness of his room.

Well, Death was intrigued to say the least. He got up from his throne and focused his energy yet again, transporting himself to the bedroom he saw in his mind. 

He appeared before the boy, the wind from his dark robes putting out the light from the candles. 

They boy shot up from his position on the floor and stumbled backwards, as if he was surprised to see the being he had invited. 

Death put his hands behind his back and stood silently, waiting for the boy to speak first. He had his hood over his head and it casted a shadow that covered his face entirely. He could see the boy's eyes flickering from left to right, trying to read the features on Death's face. After a few seconds, he gave up, settling his eyes somewhere in the middle.

"H-hello," The boy finally said, his back still against the wall, "You - it worked." He looked to the candles on his floor, "The ritual worked."

Death nodded, "You said you had a proposition?"

"Um, yes," The boy blinked himself out of shock and then cleared his throat, "I'd like to take your place."

Death widened his eyes in shock, despite the fact that he boy couldn't see his face. He focused in on the boy's eyes and something was slightly off about them. As if he had no soul, no moral compass. There was no light behind his eyes like there usually was in other humans - he appeared made of glass, almost.

"What?"

"I'd like to take your place. As Death, as the Grim Reaper," He stated, as if it was the most casual request there was. 

But Death shook his head, "You have no idea what my duties entail, child."

"I just need to get away from this world. Please, I don't belong here."

"Then why not ask God to take you to The Above?"

The boy turned his eyes toward the floor and his posture visually slumped, "I am not fit for The Above."

Death stood still and said nothing. He knew what that was like. When he was human, he knew what that was like. 

And Death began to empathize with the boy standing in front of him.

"What is your name?" Of course, Death already knew the boy's name, but there is much to be said about a way a person introduces themselves.

"Joshua Dun. Joshua William Dun, sir. But everyone calls me Josh," He said.

"Why do you want to take my place, Joshua?"

"This world isn't for me. I-"

"You misunderstand me," Interuppted Death, "If you really didn't like this world, you'd simply ask me to end your life. But you still want to live."

"Well, I..." Joshua's eyes flicked towards his door as if he was afraid of someone coming in suddenly, "I would like to be involved in the picking and choosing of death it's self."

Death blinked behind his guise, "It doesn't work like that."

"I know, but I would still like to be a part of it all," He said.

Of all of the summoners Death had personally responded to, this one was by far the most odd and least trivial. He had never had a request like this. There was no way he was going to give his position up - absolutely not. But there might be something that he could work out. 

"I am not going to relent my position to you. The least I can do is give you a position as one of my messengers," Death said, his tone and stature still cool and collected.

Joshua nodded excitedly, "Okay. I'd be very grateful for that."

"There are several stipulations that come along with it, though. I will let you know of all of them now, and then I will come back in a few days when you have come to a decision. The first thing you must know is that you will never again become a mortal. No matter what, you will not die."

Joshua was concentrated, nodding along to every word that Death said.

"Second: You will never be allowed to interact, or unjustly interfere with the lives of your friends and family. If they die, then they die. You cannot grant them life - it is not your place." Death took his hands from behind his back and revealed a long contract, holding it out for Joshua to take a look at.

"All of the other limitations are on the contract. But if I am bringing you down to The Underworld, there is a catch."

Joshua looked up from the contract, as Death's robes, "What kind of catch?"

"It would be rather odd if one day you simply dissapeared off of the surface of the Overworld. So, to make it simple, your entirely Overwordly existance will be erased from humanity," Death stated, putting his hands back behind his back.

Joshua's eyebrows furrowed. 

"Basically, it would be like you never existed. No one will remember you, no one will miss you, and any mark you've made on the world will be immediately erased, or forgotten."

Joshua pursed his lips and looked around his room. He looked at his drum kit, his posters, and a few gold medals he had hanging around his lamp. 

"I'm fine with that," He stated, his tone cold. He looked back down at the contract and skimmed some of the pages, before grabbing a pen and signing his name at the bottom of the last page. 

"Please," He said, handing the contract back to Death, "Just take me away from here."

Death took the contract from his hands, "There is no turning back from here, Joshua. You don't want one last grace period here in The Overworld?"

Joshua's gaze turned to one of steel and his fist subconsciously clenched, "No. I'm ready to go."

Death didn't ask any questions, just focused his energy and brought them straight down into The Underworld.

....

And The Underworld was nothing like Joshua expected it to be. In every portrayal of the land, it was fiery, screaming was everywhere, and it was red as far as the eye could see. 

But when Joshua appeared in The Underworld for the first time, the cold chilled him all the way down to his bones. 

There was no fire, no redness that peirced the eyes, and no screaming so loud you wanted to break your eardrums. 

It was silent, and everything was dark green, or brown.

Death silently walked him passed decayed buildings and rotted trees, and Joshua crossed his arms, trying to block the biting temperature. 

Joshua felt an odd, dull ache at the base of his head, but he ignored it, hoping it was nothing.

"Does anyone else live here?" Joshua asked.

Death said nothing, just continued walking the boy towards his castle.

Joshua acknowledged the lack of response and chose not to ask again, instead, he looked around at the thick, dark vines that covered parts of the buildings. 

The vines were odd. They seemed to be sprouting blue and black human-like limbs, and something about it made Joshua's stomach churn.

He paused, moving closer towards one particular vine that looked awfully like it had a... mouth?

Once he got close enough, he could see that he was wrong. The vines were not sprouting anything. 

They were eating.

Ever so slowly, the vines moved with a sickening slithering sound, much like a snake. There was a body underneath the vines. It was sitting on the floor, had it's mouth wide open and was clearly long gone from life as vines creeped in and out of the body's mouth, and then different parts of the body where is had been split open like a cracked peice of Earth.

What disturbed Joshua the most, though, was that the body was bone dry. There was no blood, and the muscles were shriveled up and shrunken, making the skin appear worn out and old.

As if the body had been there for years, but it was not decaying: only serving as a house for mutant plants. 

Joshua's eyes flicked around the body, and looked intently at it's face. The eyes were still there, sitting coldly in the socket of a shrunken face. 

And suddenly they moved. 

The eyes flicked towards Joshua, causing him to jump backwards. The body began to moan and groan, and Joshua picked up his pace, running to where Death had never stopped walking, and he was already a few blocks ahead of him.

"Don't go near those," Death warned, not even turning back towards Joshua as he heard his footsteps rapidly approaching. 

"Who - what are they?" He asked.

Death was silent for a second.

"They are the eternally damned."

Joshua did not say anything. 

"There is no such thing as hellfire, Joshua," Death said, as if he was reading the boy's mind, and he looked behind his shoulder. 

And this time, there was no dark aura that clouded Death's face, and Josh could see his face just as clear as he could see the vines behind his eyelids everytime he blinked. 

He was rather handsome. He looked tired and unkempt - the exact way one would expect Death to look, but his features fit together nicely. There was scruff lining his jawbones, and bags beneath his dark brown eyes.

"You... have a face," Josh commented. 

Death looked back forwards and did not say anything. 

"Do you have a name, too?"

Death stopped walking, and whipped around at Josh, slamming a foot on the ground and pointing a finger directly at his face.

"Do _not_ humanize me, Joshua. I am not like you. Do not think for a second that I will spare you simply because you have not commited a great crime yet. I can snap my fingers and have you on the ground with vines crawling inside and out of your body for the rest of eternity, if I wanted to," He snapped, his tone rising. 

Joshua's face went pale and he nodded accordingly. 

Death stared him in the face for one more second before turning back, and the rest of the walk to the castle was silent. 

Upon entering the large infastructure, Joshua was surprised to find that it was actually kind of warm. Death lead him up two flights of stairs, and Josh asked what all of these other rooms were for.

"My other messengers. I don't have many anymore, but the ones that have stayed use these bedrooms to come back and rest. They only really come back when they've run out of assignments. You won't see them very often."

Josh nodded silently, and they continued walking in silence. When they reached the last door on the second floor, Death opened it up.

"This is where you'll stay. You can rest if you need it - time is different down here than it was in your old world, so there is no day and night cycle. Sleep whenever you deem it fit."

Joshua stepped into the room and looked around. He was surprised a second time that the room looked so... normal. It was large and roomy, but there were no vines creeping around the walls, and there was no stench of rotting flesh.

"Okay..." He said, looking around, "Thank you... uh, sir."

Death nodded, "You may roam about the castle - there's a kitchen downstairs if you're hungry. I'll come to fetch you in a few hours to start your duties." 

Joshua nodded silently, walking over to the bed and sitting down, looking at his feet.

Death walked away without another word, leaving Joshua to his privacy. 

The boy sighed deeply and, again, ignored the dull, throbbing in the back of his skull. He was the one that asked for this. He was the one that lit ten candles in a circle, he was the one that chanted the right chant under his breath, and he was the one that chose to leave the ones who hurt him behind. 

He thought of his family and what they were doing right now. 

_"No one will remember you, no one will miss you."_

Joshua sighed. This was his decision and it was for the best. 

He looked down at his hands and clenched them into fists.

This was for the best. He was only ever a nuisance to anyone he came into contact with - his insensitivity making his company almost intolerable.

He could remember it clear as day - his mother, sitting beside her daughter's hospital bed. He could remember all of his siblings equally as distraught at the thought of losing their sister. 

He should've been crying, like the rest of them. But he sat, his expression stone cold.

His eyes looked towards the plug that was keeping her alive. 

When everyone else left, he tugged it from it's outlet and felt a strange sense of satisfaction as her heart flatlined. 

He was but a young boy. He was completely unaware of what he was doing, and that was his best defense. 

It was only when an altercation with another student in his class involved one of them dead when he realized he may have had a problem.

He realized much too late that he was intrigued (to say the least) by death and sickness. 

"You're a monster," His mother had said to her eleven-year-old boy, tears in her eyes.

Joshua bowed his head and went to his room. He did not respond. 

Nothing was the same after that. He knew he wasn't fit to live in The Overworld. He deserved to be damned eternally, but he was also too selfish to actually ask for that penance.

So he settled for having his entire Overwordly presence destroyed. They'd all be better off.

Joshua closed the door to his room and layed down on the comfortable bed he had been provided. He closed his eyes, but he did not sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The pain at the base of Joshua's skull had only gotten worse since he began taking residence in The Underworld. At first, it was a simple, meaningless bite, but after many, many hours in The Underworld, it had started growing up his skull to his entire head, and it crushed him to the point where getting out of his bed was painful. 

There was a knock on his door, and Joshua said nothing. 

The door opened anyways, and Death walked in. Except he was not in long black robes, and there was no dark aura surrounding him. 

He looked... normal. He was wearing a yellow hoodie, black jeans, and black sneakers.

Joshua looked up at him with a furrow in his brow.

Death shrugged, "This is my home. I don't always feel like wearing my outerwear in my home."

Joshua returned his head back to the pillow and shut his eyes, willing the pain in his head to go away.

"I have an actual job for you today."

He shook his head, "I can't do anything. My head is killing me."

Death sighed, "Oh, right. I forgot about that. It'll only last for a few more hours. You should be fine once you're fully adjusted to the atmosphere. Come and find me on the sixth floor when you're better."

Joshua nodded and turned to face the wall, his head pounding, and a piercing pressure right below his ears. Death walked out of his room, leaving him to lie in agony alone.

There were sounds going on outside of the castle, and Joshua counted every crow that screeched, trying to distract himself.

One screech.

Two screeches.

Three, four, five, screeches.

Six screeches.

Suddenly, Josh's whole body temperature dropped and his head started to get fuzzy, as his body began to convulse. His hands, arms, and legs were shaking uncontrollably, and his brain was completely scattered as it brought up random memories from his Overwordly life. 

He saw his mother crying, he saw his siblings crying, and he saw himself becoming nonexistent. 

He was dying, he was sure of it. His body was not going to adjust to The Underworld - he was going to die right here and no one will remember he ever existed. 

The blood in his veins flowed so quickly, it felt like it was spilling out of his body.

It wasn't, but it might as well have been.

The crows stopped screeching, and there was no seventh sound.

Joshua saw his entire life flash before his eyes, before his mind went blank.

 

 

 

He blinked and looked around. He was still in Death's castle, still in his bed. There was a blanket over him that he didn't remember putting there, but it was comfortable so he didn't care. 

He got up from his bed, surprised to find that his head was no longer in pain. His body felt rather numb, as if any property that made him human left his body, but he made his way to the sixth floor, knocking on the first door.

It opened, and the first thing Joshua saw was Death standing in front of a large window, with his hands behind his back, surveying the land he owned. He was back in his black robes, the hood pulled over his head. He turned around, and the black aura covered his face, and he looked exactly as he did when he first appeared to Joshua. 

The aura quickly dissapeared, though, and greeted the other boy with a polite smile.

"You're finally awake," He said.

"How long was I out for?"

Death shrugged, "About 62 hours, I'd say. I was starting to wonder if you'd ever wake again."

Joshua's eyes went wide, "62 hours?! Why was I asleep that long?"

"Your body needed to adjust to the atmosphere. It happens. Just be thankful you woke up. Not every human that comes down here survives the transformation."

 _Transformation?_ Joshua wondered. He looked down at his body. He felt different, but he looked exactly the same as he did minus a few scars and birthmarks that seemed to have disappeared.

He shook his head, deciding to not think about it just yet. 

"You said you had a job for me?" He asked.

Death clicked his tongue, "I did have a job for you. I got it done, though." He noved across the room and sat down on a throne, placing his hands on an odd-looking, flesh-like sphere, and looked up at where a map appeared.

Joshua came closer, and stood next to him, looking at the map.

"Here," He said, zooming in on a blinking green dot, "Another job."

The scene on the map was a small, blond girl laying in a large hospital bed, with several different tubes attached to her. There was no one in the room, and Joshua felt like the scene looked familiar, but he couldn't place from where. 

"I need you to save this girl. It is not her time to die yet," Death said.

Joshua turned his head, "Save her? But - I thought that was their job in The Above?"

Death sighed and shook his head, "The angels do not get their hands dirty, Joshua. They send these dots down on the map, telling me whose time it is to die, and whose time it is to live."

Joshua pointed a finger at the map when Death zoomed out.

"What's blinking yellow mean?"

"A summoning in progress."

Joshua hummed.

"Blinking red?"

"An unanswered summon."

"Blinking green means they're about to die, but it isn't their time?"

"Correct, Joshua."

Joshua hummed again, looking intently at the map.

"I prefer Josh, by the way."

Death turned his head to the boy, "What?"

"You can call me Josh. I prefer Josh," He stated again, making eye contact with Death. The man simply pursed his lips and nodded, turning his attention back to the map.

"So, anyway, I need you to revive this little girl before she dies."

"How do I do that?"

"I'll go with you to show you. But first..." He looked Joshua - _Josh_ up and down, "I need to give you new clothing. That will not do."

Josh looked down at his "I WANT TO BELIEVE" T-shirt and his skinny jeans that had accidental holes in the knees. 

"Okay," He said simply as Death lead him across the hallway and into another room that looked similar to the one he had. The man went over to a coat hanger all the way in the corner and pulled off a dark black robe that looked exactly the same as Death's.

Josh took it in his hands and found it to be incredibly lightweight despite how heavy it appeared.

"Change into that, and the come back into the other room when you're done," He commanded. 

Death left the room and Josh looked around. It was a simple room, there was hardly an decoration, not to Josh's surprise. He looked back towards the corner Death had taken the robe from the coat hanger. There was a small nightstand next to it that had a small pendant sitting on it.

Josh squinted his eyes and looked closer, at the small inscription on the front.

_Stay alive, T.J._

_-K.J._

Josh had no idea what either of those initials were, but he figured one of them had to be Death's name. The words really struck a chord with Josh.

_Stay alive._

An ironic choice of words, given that the man was Death himself.

There was a knock at the door and Josh jumped, quickly throwing the robe on and opening the door.

"Let's go," Death said, "She doesn't have much time left."

Death focused his energy and pictured the hospital room, transporting the both of them there. 

The little girl was still there, lying unconscious, as her heart monitor slowly but surely dropped. 

A woman was sitting next to the bed, stroking the little girl's head, with tears streaming down her face. A man sat next to the woman, comforting her with a soothing hand on her back. 

Josh stood there for a second, and when no one acknowledged either of them, he turned to Death.

"They can't see us?" He asked. 

He shook his head, "They can't see or hear us. But they will be able to feel us if we interfere with them. We're on a different plane, but that doesn't mean everything is immune to our touch."

Josh nodded, biting his lip, and Death turned to him.

"Put your hands on the girl."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Do I look like I'm playing around? Put your hands on the girl."

Josh did as he was told, placing both of his hands right over the girl's heart.

"Now breathe in deeply, Josh. You need to focus. There is an energy inside of you that you need to capture. Take that energy and push it into the girl," Death said.

Josh squeezed his eyes shut and focused on energy... except he felt nothing.

"Focus, Joshua," Death said, his tone stern, "In your heart. The energy from your heart. Give it to the girl."

So Josh focused harder and - oh. There was something there. Something that he definitely never felt before his "transformation." He imagined the energy as a physical block in his head, and he pushed it up from his heart, trying to send it down into his hands.

"She's dying, Joshua. There are great consequences if someone dies an untimely death. Now focus, and keep her alive!"

Josh gritted his teeth and pushed down harder on the girl's heart, desperately trying to bring the energy up.

"I can't - It won't come up, I can't do it."

"There is no option, you must do it."

"I can't!"

"That's not an option!"

He grunted and pressed down hard again, and he heart the heart monitor next to him began to beep slower and slower.

"Josh, we're actually losing her! You have to do this!"

"I don't know how! You've never taught me!" He shouted, his expession a mix of pain and anger. 

"Just feel the energy inside of yourself. Feel the energy in yourself and feel it going down into your hands, and down into the girl."

The heart monitor behind him teased him, reminding him how short their time was getting. Josh focused. He felt the energy in his heart. He took a deep breath and brought it up to his shoulders, and shot it down through his arms. It reached his hands, but it did not transfer into the girl. He pushed down harder and harder, his eyebrows furrowing. 

And then finally, there was a breakthrough. He transmitted a trickle of energy into the girl's heart. The heart monitor picked up for a second, but then went right back down and Josh saw any slight bit of hope from the parent's eyes fade as the woman started crying on the man's shoulder. 

He gritted his teeth and tried again, shooting the energy down. Again, almost nothing came out. He looked at Death with a hopeless expression on his face.

"It's okay," The man said, stepping closer, "You transferred some energy. That's good." He placed one hand over both of Josh's hands and shot energy directly through Josh's hands, right into the little girl. 

Her eyes shot open, and her heart monitor picked up a normal pace.

Josh and Death both removed their hands from the girl and stood back. She blinked herself back to full consciousness and looked at her parents.

"Mom? Dad?"

Their faces shot up, and the mother jumped out of her chair with joy, wrapping the little girl in a tight hug.

"Oh, my baby! You're alive! You're alive!" She said, tears warbling her speech. The man hugged her from the other side, a smile on his face.

"We were so worried," The man said.

"Ow, ow, my ribs hurt," The little girl complained.

"Sorry, sweetheart."

"It's okay."

They resumed the hug, a bit lighter this time.

"I'm glad I'm alive," The little girl commented softly. 

Josh looked over at Death who had taken his hood off, and was watching them with sadness in his eyes. 

Once they finished their hug, the mother looked up to the sky and sent a silent "thank you" towards The Above.

Before Josh could see anything else, he felt a rush of energy and suddenly they were back in Death's castle, in the room with the sphere where they had teleported from. 

Death silently walked into the room that he had Josh change in, and he shut the door behind him.

Josh blinked. He was still processing everything that had just happened. He looked down at his hands, mentally noting to work on transferring energy more. 

In the meantime, he walked up to the room Death had gone into, tentatively knocking on the door.

"I'm fine, Josh."

Regardless, Josh still opened the door, and made his way over to where Death was sitting at the end of his bed, his head in his hands.

He took a seat right next to the man, and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. The man sighed, but he did not move away.

"What's wrong?" He asked, especially concerned since he had never seen Death express an emotion like this.

He simply shook his head, "Nothing. You wouldn't understand."

"But I might," He replied. 

"Y'know, sir, I-"

"Don't," Death interrupted, removing one of his hands from his face and motioning it to chop the air, "Call me that. Please."

Josh cocked and eyebrow and removed his hand from the man's shoulder, placing it in his lap.

"Well, what should I call you?"

Death rested his chin on his knuckles, and stared blankly ahead.

"Tyler. My name is Tyler."

Josh's eyes widened. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he definitely wasn't expecting a name so... normal.

"Okay. Tyler. I like that name."

Tyler didn't reply.

Josh simply sat there, close enough to provide a bit of heat, but not close enough so that they were touching. 

"I used to be human, Josh. Human like them. Except no one was there to revive me when I died. And now here I am. Alone. In the very world I was afraid of," Tyler confessed, his voice hoarse and low. He placed one of his hands on his thigh, and with his other hand, he kept his head forward.

Josh took a deep breath and placed one of his hands atop Tyler's.

"You're not alone anymore, though," He said.

Tyler looked at his hand, and then looked at Josh. His expression was pain in it's most pure form.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked quietly.

Josh nodded, "I am. Very sure."

Tyler nodded, and then moved his hand so that his palm was facing up, and he clasped Josh's hand tightly, saying nothing as he looked Josh intently in his eyes, staring right into his soul.

"Do you believe me?" Josh asked.

Tyler opened his mouth to respond, but there was a knock at the door that made the both of them jump. Tyler put his hood over his head and summoned a dark aura, to cover his face.

"You may enter," He called.

"Death, sir," A man said, coming into the room and kneeling before Tyler, "You weren't on your throne. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Brendon. What's brings you back?"

The man got back up to his feet, and Josh watched the scene before him intently, not making a sound.

"The Parson contract has expired, sir. My duty to watch over them is done. Do you have a new contract for me to observe?" He asked.

"You know there is always work to do. Follow me to the map, and I'll give you a new one," He turned to Josh, "You as well, Josh."

The three of them went into the room, and Tyler placed his hands on the sphere again, pointing at three blinking red dots.

"These three unanswered summons. They're all in a relatively close area, so answering them all within a short time shouldn't be a problem," He said.

Brendon nodded, memorizing the dots on the screen.

"I can handle a bigger task, sir," He said with a bit of bite in his tone.

"You know good and well why I don't give you the more important jobs. You aren't ready," Death replied.

Brendon's jaw tightened, "I really think-"

"Enough. This conversation is old, Brendon. Talk to me about more important jobs when you have more than one motivation. Otherwise, go to fulfill the jobs I have just given you."

Suddenly Brendon dissapeared without another word, and the black aura from Tyler's face dissapeared, and he sighed.

Josh walked up to where Tyler was still sitting on his throne, focused on the map. 

"What was that all about?" He asked.

Tyler shook his head, "He wants to work his way up to the throne. Take my position. But all he wants is the power, and I fear for The Overworld on the day that man ever takes my place."

"Will he ever take your place?" Josh asked.

"No. He will not. He would only be able to if I died, and I cannot die unless I voluntarily give up my position of Grim Reaper first. Which I have not done, and do not plan on doing."

Josh was silent for a moment, and then Tyler turned towards him.

"Death cannot die, Josh," He stated.

Josh nodded, "Makes sense."

There was silence in the air before he spoke up again, "So which job are we going to do?" He asked.

Tyler ignored Josh and shut his eyes. His expression contorted, as his arms began to quiver. His fingers got tight on the sphere and for only a second his entire body shook before he opened his eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing back in his chair. There were beads of sweat forming at his temple and he was breathing heavily.

Josh got closer, his eyes wide with questions, but he waited for Tyler to catch his breath.

The man took one last deep breath and then looked back at Josh.

"Sorry," He said, getting up from his throne, "I had to send manifestations of myself out to answer some of the contracts that Brendon wouldn't be able to get to himself. It takes a lot of energy."

Josh nodded, as if he understood.

"We're not going to answer any summons today, though. We need to work on your ability to transmit energy," Tyler said, "Go ahead and rest for a little bit. I have to wait for my manifestations to come back before I can do anything too big. It might be a few hours."

Josh nodded again, and left the room, leaving Tyler to his rest. He laid down on his bed and looked up at the ceiling, thinking of when Tyler held his hand in his. He liked it a lot. He wanted to do it again.

He chuckled at himself.

He had a crush on Death.

But then again, it seemed like something he would do.

So he simply sighed and stared at the ceiling, wondering what Tyler had in store for him next.


	3. Chapter 3

Josh looked at himself in the mirror. He looked good. He had just gotten out of the shower, and he was feeling rather fresh and ready to go.

He was wearing a black hoodie that Tyler had lent him, his own jeans, and his own sneakers. He looked so normal he wanted to laugh.

The door to his room swung open without a knock, "You ready?" Tyler asked, wearing the same yellow hoodie and dark jeans that Josh had seen him in before, and he couldn't help but thinking that Tyler looked _really_ good.

Either way, he nodded and followed Tyler downstairs, into what appeared to be an exercise room. There were full-length mirrors lining the walls, and mats on top of hardwood flooring. It was similar to the gym that Josh used to attend when he lived in The Overworld, except there was no actual exersice equiptment besides a jump rope that was curled up in the corner. 

Tyler stopped walking when they reached the middle of the room, and he kicked off his shoes, Josh doing the same.

"So," Tyler started, looking a Josh with a serious expression on his face, "There is actually a name to the energy that has taken place in your body. It's called Skotadi. We usually call it Sko for short, though."

Josh nodded along.

"Most of our duties involve Sko, so it's very important than you learn to use it properly. We can't have last time's incident happening again."

"I know. Sorry."

"It's okay. I assure you it won't happen after today. Now," He moved to one side of the room and opened a closet that Josh had not spotted before, "Put your hands on this." He took out a large exercise ball and placed it in front of Josh.

Josh shot Tyler a strange look, but got on his knees and placed his hands on the ball.

Tyler got on his knees as well, but on the other side so that they were facing each other.

"Really, really focus, Josh. Picture the Sko in your heart. The deepest pit of your heart. Picture yourself releasing it out of yourself and into this ball."

Josh closed his eyes and saw the Sko in his mind. He pictured it as a slightly visible force working it's way from a cage inside of his heart. He saw it coming up from his heart and going down his arms. And he felt it flowing alongside his bloodstream, but again, it stopped right as it reached his hands.

He opened his eyes and looked at Tyler, "It always stops right at my hands. I can't tranfer it."

Tyler bit his lip and thought for a moment, before getting up and moving so that he was right behind Josh. He positioned himself so that he was on his knees again, his knees slotted between the back of Josh's, and he leaned forward to put his hands on top of Josh's hands, his head hovering right above Josh's shoulder.

"Like this, Josh," He said softly, his voice right in the other boy's ear. Goosebumps broke out all over Josh's body, and really hoped Tyler didn't notice.

Suddenly he felt an energy being slowly transmitted into his hands.

And it burned.

"Wait, it burns," He said.

"Just trust me," Tyler replied, not stopping. Josh bit his lip hard to distract himself. And then the exercise ball started vibrating. 

"Oh," Josh breathed, the energy still flowing. 

It stopped quicker than it had started, and the burning sensation ceased.

"Now you try," Tyler said, but he didn't move from where he was crowding Josh.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he pictured how bad this would look if anyone were to come wandering in. 

Disregarding the thought, Josh shut his eyes again, and pictured the burning in his hands, and the Sko working it's way through his body.

The exercise ball beneath him began to vibrate and he opened one eye to confirm his suspicion, and then both eyes were wide.

"Woah. I'm doing it."

Tyler chuckled in his ear, "See? I told you could."

Josh turned his face to see that Tyler was already looking at him. They were very, very close. Close enough where Josh could see every freckle, and every mark on the man's face. All he had to do was lean forward the slightest bit, and their lips would touch. 

"I believe you," He said suddenly.

Josh cocked an eyebrow, "Huh?"

"You asked me if I believed you. That I wasn't alone anymore. And I'm telling you that I do believe you," Tyler said, his voice quiet as if he didn't want anyone else to hear. 

"Oh. Well, good. I'm glad."

Tyler leaned forward slowly, but he turned his face so that his lips hardly touched the side of Josh's mouth.

But Josh took one step further, and pressed their lips together. The only sound in the room was the vibration of the exercise ball against the floor as Tyler opened his mouth to let Josh's tongue slide in. Josh couldn't tell weather it was the blood or the Sko that was flowing through his body at such an incredible pace, but he didn't care as his mind felt at peace while their tongues danced together, and Tyler let out a relaxed sigh.

It must've been the Sko flowing through Josh's arms at a rather fast pace, because suddenly the exercise ball exploded and launched the both of them back a few feet.

The back of Josh's head slammed against the hardwood flooring and he groaned in pain, gritting his teeth. He looked to his left at Tyler who appeared to be unconscious. 

Josh scooted closer towards him, and there was a large wound on the side of his head that was bleeding out rather quickly.

"Oh, shit," Josh cursed. His heart began to race, but before he had time to do anything, the wound healed at an incredibly quick pace, closing it's self up right before his eyes. The blood immediately stopped flowing and Josh sat there in awe, the back of his head still pounding.

Tyler blinked a few times, and propped himself up on his elbows.

The silence between them was thick.

"How did you heal so quickly?" Josh asked.

"Well, the ability of not being able to die has it's perks. Like the quick healing of smaller wounds," He said, "You can do it, too. It was granted to you during your transformation period."

Josh nodded, remembering how he had woken up from his slumber with no scars or birthmarks - as if all of the mistakes from his Overworld life had been erased.

"I've never seen an exercise ball explode like that before. It was... interesting," Tyler commented.

And they both started laughing. Josh did first, his hand on his stomach, as Tyler looked at him in confusion for a few seconds before catching his very contagious laughter. 

Josh took a few moments before he stopped himself from laughing, his hand still clutching his stomach.

Tyler paused, watching Josh.

Josh looked up at him from where he was still on the floor, but Tyler said nothing and his smile fell.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Tyler shook his head, "Nothing. It's just... it's been awhile since I've laughed. A long while."

Josh thought of where they were, what their jobs were, and Tyler's identity.

"I don't blame you," He said.

"I've never kissed anyone, either," He said, his eyes flicking to the floor. 

Josh's eyes widened, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I don't remember much of my life in The Overworld, but I remember that I died at a relatively young age, so I didn't get to do much."

And Josh's heart became saddened. Everything at the moment was just so odd. For the first time ever, Tyler looked small and innocent. He looked like an actual person, with expression in his face, and emotion in his body. If someone were to take a picture of the boy in front of him and tell him that this was the man who brought people down to The Underworld to suffer for an eternity, he would call you a liar.

It wasn't possible.

But it was, and it scared Josh.

Nevertheless, he frowned, "I'm sorry."

Tyler sat up criss cross and shrugged, "It's alright. I'm over it by now."

Josh sat up, too, sitting in the same position, but he wasn't quite sure if there was anything he could say. 

"Josh."

He looked up.

"C'mere."

Josh stood up and walked over to Tyler and sat down right next to him. Tyler scooted closer so that their faces were hardly apart just like they were a few minutes ago.

"Can you show me again?" He asked.

"Show you what?"

"Kissing. Show me that."

And Josh was more than happy to oblige, with a small smile on his face.

"Okay," He said, leaning forward and pressing their lips together. Josh put one hand in the back of Tyler's hair, and his other hand atop his thigh. Tyler's hands both wandered around Josh's waist, all of his movements slow and unsure. Josh made sure the kiss was slow and steady, as he didn't try to pick up the pace at all even when he felt a twitch in his cock.

Tyler broke the kiss off for a second, "Am I doing okay?"

"Yeah. You're doing fine," Josh responded, leaning right back in. He tightened his grip in the other boy's hair, and he moaned into his mouth.

Josh put a hand on his chest, but Tyler quickly grabbed his wrist and broke the kiss off again.

"Wait, what're you doing?" 

Josh looked down between them for a second and then back up at Tyler, "Nothing. I was just gonna get you in a better position. On your back."

Tyler squinted his eyes, and he looked skeptical.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to, Tyler. You can just tell me to stop, if you want."

Tyler nodded and leaned back in to reconnect their lips, and Josh lightly pushed at his chest, as he mentally noted to keep all of his movements light and simple.

He bit lightly at the other boy's bottom lip, and Tyler moaned again - the sound quickly becoming addictive.

Josh's hand was still splayed across his chest, and he accidentally sent a shock of Sko right into his torso.

Tyler gasped loudly, arching his back off the floor, and grabbing tightly onto Josh's back.

"Oh - sorry. I-I can't really control it yet."

He shook his head, "N-no, it felt good."

Josh raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

"Yeah. Yeah. It - yeah, it felt good," Tyler said, his brain going a million differrent places. 

Josh continued kissing him hard, and he focused carefully, sending just a small amount of Sko to trickle from his hand and into Tyler's body. He moaned loudly, and Josh detached their mouths, kissing and biting at Tyler's jawline. 

"Josh," Tyler breathed heavily. 

And Josh brought their mouths back together. The kiss was a bit more frantic now - both of them needing more, but neither of them being bold enough to make the first move. Josh moved his other hand from propping himself up on the floor to the side of Tyler's thigh, gripping it tightly.

Tyler subconsciously bucked his hips up, and Josh moved his hand so that it hovered right over his crotch.

"This okay?" He asked. 

"Yeah. Just - just don't do too much," Tyler responded.

"Don't worry."

Josh simply palmed his cock through his tight skinny jeans, and Tyler let out a tortured noise, his hands gripping hard at Josh's back. He pressed down with the heel of his hand, and suddenly Tyler's thighs were convulsing, as a warm fluid filled his pants.

" _Fuck_ ," Tyler moaned, throwing his head back against the mat on the floor. 

Josh chuckled at how sensitive he was, and brought his hand to palm at his own self through his pants. He closed his eyes and Tyler watched intently as Josh put his hand down his jeans and stroked himself up and down until he was spurting the same fluid into his own pants.

Tyler propped himself on his elbows, "I want you to show me that next time."

Josh chuckled again and kissed Tyler softly.

"I'm glad you liked that," He admitted quietly.

Tyler smiled, "I really liked it. Let's do it again."

"For now, let's relax," Josh said, settling down on the mat right beside him.

Tyler focused the little bit of energy he had left and teleported them into Tyler's bed. 

Josh blinked rapidly, the new setting throwing him of for a second. 

"Let's sleep," Tyler offered. Josh hummed happily and brought Tyler close by the small of his back.

And for the first time since Josh had been in The Underworld, he slept soundly for a good few hours.

....

Their next job in The Overworld did not go as planned. Both Tyler and Josh appeared in a room with ten candles lit all around, and then right next to the circle of ten candles, there was a circle of seven lit candles.

And if Tyler didn't know any better, he would've thought that a very unwise human was trying to summon angels and demons in the same place at the same time.

"What is this?" Tyler asked, both him and Josh having a black aura to conceal their faces.

The human giggled, "A face-off."

Suddenly, two angels appeared on the other side of the room.

No, this would not end well.

"You fool!" Tyler shouted at the human, "Evil and good cannot co-exist in the same room. Have you no thought?"

The angels from The Above stared menacingly at Tyler and Josh, as there was no dialouge for a good few seconds.

"Get away from this house," One of the angels spoke, "You do not belong here."

"There are ten candles. We have every right to be here just as much as you do," Tyler spoke. A wave of fear ran down Josh's spine, as both of the angels only got more angry, as if they were not satisfied in the least.

"Have it your way," An angel spoke up as he brought his palm up and suddenly a white-hot fireball was being launched at Tyler. He dodged it quickly and brought his hand up to shoot a ball of Sko right at the angel, but he dodged it as well.

Josh was dumbfounded. They could make weapons out of their energy?

The other angel joined in the fight, beginning to shoot Tyler as well.

"Josh!" He called, "Do something!"

So Josh tried his best to summon as much energy as it looked like Tyler was using, but they both knew he was too weak for that just yet.

Tyler groaned in frustration and ran towards Josh and tackled him, teleporting them both right back down to The Underworld, as they landed on hard concrete right outside his castle.

"Fuck," Tyler cursed, standing up and taking a deep breath.

"What the hell was that?" Josh asked, standing up a bit slower than Tyler.

He shook his head, "That's what happens when someone from The Overworld is stupid enough to try to summon angels and demons in the same place. It - they don't understand. We can't exist in the same place."

Josh blinked, "Has that ever happened before?"

Tyler thought for a moment, "Only once or twice in my lifetime. But those from The Above are less likely to answer summons that we are. Which is why I've walked in a few unsuccessful attempts to summon us both at the same time."

Josh shook his head and ran a hand through his hair; he had never seen anything like that. He had never even seen an angel before. He supposed he was just lucky enough that both of them got away without a scratch.

Tyler suddenly turned to him and pointed, "You need to learn how to concentrate enough Sko into one place so that you can shoot it, as well. Although we try not to initiate conflict, it's great self-defense."

Josh nodded, "Got it. Maybe you'll just have to take me down to the fitness room again. So we can practice."

Tyler squinted his eyes and tried to appear indifferent to what Josh was inferring, but the smile underneath his face gave him away.

"You wanna practice right now?" Tyler asked.

Josh smirked, "Sounds good to me."

Tyler grabbed Josh's arm and they teleported into his bedroom once again. Josh held onto Tyler tightly and kissed him hard, both of them falling back on Tyler's bed. 

The fight they just escaped from acted as a sort of aphrodisiac, pumping an intense amount of adrenaline through their veins that they now had nothing better to do with.

Josh had one hand caressing Tyler's jaw, and with his other hand he gripped the back of Tyler's thigh tightly.

Their tongues intertwined, and Josh was excited to show Tyler everything he never got to see as a member of The Overworld.

"You can tell me if you want me to stop," Josh breathed heavily inbetween kisses. Tyler just nodded and crashed their lips back together.

Josh brought his hand from the back of Tyler's thigh and unbuttoned his pants, then brought both of his hands down to pull them down to his ankles. 

"What - what are you gonna do?" Tyler asked breathlessly, as Josh moved his mouth to bite at the underside of Tyler's jaw.

"You'll see. Just let me know if it's too much, and I'll stop," He said, bringing his hand to wrap around the base of Tyler's cock.

" _Ah_ \- okay," He said, digging the heels of his feet into the mattress.

Josh squeezed lightly and then began to stroke up and down at a relatively slow pace, letting Tyler get used to it first. Tyler bit his lip and dug his nails into Josh's back.

"If - you can go faster. Please," Tyler said, his tone tortured.

Josh brought their lips back together, and began stroking faster with his hand, thumbing the slit of Tyler's cock to collect the precome and smear it, making the pumps easier and more slick.

He could tell that Tyler was quickly reaching his climax by the way he stopped trying to keep control of the sounds he made, and the way his nails only got deeper and deeper into Josh's back.

Josh still lacked much control of his Sko, and once again, he couldn't stop the flow of energy that pulsed quickly through his arm and right through his hand, tranferring straight to Tyler's cock.

"Oh, _fuck_!" Tyler shouted, arching his back off the mattress as he immediately came - white streaks shooting far up his chest, almost reaching his chin.

Josh pumped Tyler the rest of the way through his climax and then crashed their lips back together, reaching a hand into his own pants and quickly making his way to the same spot Tyler was at.

Tyler wrapped his arms around Josh's neck and kissed him passionately, a whimper in his voice as Josh licked into his mouth.

Josh came with a deep moan right into Tyler's mouth. 

He breathed heavily and collasped next to Tyler, staring up at the ceiling with beads of sweat gathered on his chest. Josh heard a shuffle from beside him, and before he knew it, Tyler was tucking himself into Josh's side, his head buried in the crook of Josh's neck.

Josh smiled to himself and turned to splay his palm on Tyler's lower back, bringing him even closer.

They were both in need of a clean-up for more than one reason, but they still fell asleep easily right beside each other. 

Somewhere in the back of Josh's mind he wondered if he'd ever get enough control of his inner energy to be able to shoot a concentrated amount from his hand.


	4. Chapter 4

The second Josh woke up, he knew something was off. Tyler was not by his side, and the entire castle was eerily silent. It was usually relatively quiet, but on this day, the silence rang loud in his ears and the room seemed a big larger than usual, since he was the only one in it. 

He quickly teleported himself to his room and got on a fresh change of clothes, and then made his way back up to the sixth floor, where Tyler was most likely to be. 

Right before he entered the control room where Tyler look at the map, he paused by the door, hearing a loud sound coming from inside.

"I'm so sick of this, sir. You know I deserve the throne! I've been your messenger for years in The Overworld time!" One voice shouted.

"Time does not matter, Brendon. Your heart condition isn't right."

"Heart condition?! Are you fucking serious?! You're the fucking Grim Reaper for God's sake, how good can your own heart condition be?"

"Your motives are nothing but malice," The other voice said, raising in tone, "This is my job. I do what I have to do and nothing more. All you want it the power-"

"How the fuck do you know what I want?"

"This conversation is over."

"No! This conversation is not over! Hand your position over to me!"

"That's _not_ going to happen. Now get out of my sight!"

Josh opened the door, and Tyler immediately turned his attention towards him. Unfortunately for him, however, he was distracted by Josh and didn't get to see Brendon raise a hand towards Death himself and shoot a dark ball of Sko right at him, nailing him in the heart.

Tyler brought both hands to clutch at his chest, as his breathing stuttered. He looked back at Brendon for only a second, before he fell to his knees, and then collapsed on his side, his hands quickly becoming soaked in dark red. 

"Tyler!" Josh shouted, running over to the man on the floor. The dark aura from his face had disappeared, and he looked small and tired, with bags around his eyes. He put his hand behind Tyler's head, lifting it to look closer at him. Tyler's head lulled to the side, and his eyes blinked slowly.

Josh's eyes stung as he whipped his head to the left, and he saw Brendon simply standing there, watching the scene unfold before him. His eyes were wide, and his body frozen, as if he was surprised by his own actions.

"You son of a bitch!" Josh called, raising his hand to shoot a large ball of Sko right back at him. Brendon dissapeared before it could reach him, though, and instead, it hit the opposite wall, burning a hole into it.

He looked around the room, and Brendon was nowhere to be found.

Josh turned his attention back to Tyler who was shut his eyes.

"Tyler! Tyler! C'mon, I know you can hear me. Please, open your eyes," Josh pleaded as a tear fell down his cheek.

Tyler blinked himself awake and he brought a shaky hand up to grasp at Josh's collar.

"Help me," He whispered, his voice hoarse. 

Josh nodded, "Tell me what to do. Just tell me. What should I do?"

Tyler's eyes began to flutter closed again, and his grip on Josh's collar became loose.

"No, no, no! Tyler, please!" His voice was completely warbly now, and his words fluxuated in awkward placed, "Tyler, what do I do?"

Tyler's mouth moved, but there was no audio. Josh brought his ear down to Tyler's mouth, and he whispered again.

"Stop. The. Bleeding."

"Stop the bleeding?" Josh repeated. 

Tyler nodded.

He thought only for a moment before he yanked his shirt off, and stuffed it over Tyler's wound, that had hit right below his heart. Tyler gritted his teeth and sucked in a sharp breath of air, and Josh apologized profusely as he held the cloth tightly to Tyler's wound.

He picked Tyler up, as a groom would do a bride, and carried him to the nearest bedroom, placing him gently on the bed.

Josh bit his shaking lip, and he couldn't help the few tears that fell from his eyes as he sat right beside Tyler, mentally noting that he'd need a new, thicker cloth soon.

Tyler's eyes fluttered close again, and Josh - he was just so afraid of loosing someone else.

"Tyler, please stay awake. Open your eyes," He said, caressing the side of Tyler's face with his free hand.

Once again, the man squeezed his eyes hard, before he looked up at Josh.

"I need you to keep this cloth against your wound, I have to go find a new one," Josh said, placing Tyler's hand atop the cloth that was already soaked in blood.

"Okay?" He asked, trying to confirm weather Tyler was actually listening or not.

Tyler nodded slowly, but Josh could already see him slipping further and futher from consciousness. 

So Josh got up quickly and ran to the nearest bathroom, taking two of the thickest towels he could find. 

When he came back, Tyler was still holding the cloth against himself, but his entire body was shaking, and his face was contorted in pain. Josh replaced his shirt with a towel, and caught a quick glimpse of the wound that was still open, and not seeming to get any better.

"I thought you could heal quickly. Tyler, why isn't it healing?" He asked.

Tyler gritted his teeth, "Too big. Need rest first."

It didn't make much sense to Josh, but he nodded nonetheless.

"You need to sleep?" Josh asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Tyler nodded and brought his hand up to grab at the other's boy collar again, "Listen to me. I'll be fine. You need to go back to the control room and monitor the dots while I'm alseep. Do my job while I can't."

"No, Tyler, I wouldn't even know where to begin-"

"Josh. It's not an option. There isn't another choice. I'll give you my power, so that you'll be able to activate the map," He said, stopping between words, as he was clearly in tremendous pain. 

"You can't give me you position! What if you die? Only death can't die, remember? That's what you told me," Josh replied, his voice shrill and his eyes still stinging. 

Tyler shook his head, "It's a risk we have to take."

"No, Tyler! I'm not letting you die-"

"Josh!" Tyler shouted, opening his eyes wide. He immediately groaned in pain, and rested his head back on the pillow, his grip from Josh's collar getting looser, "The entire world above us will fall if there is no one to monitor the deaths and lives. You. Have. To. Do. This."

Josh shook his head and began to cry harder, resting his head against Tyler's shoulder, carefully avoiding the wound. Tyler brought his hand to Josh's back, and patted lightly, "Don't worry. I'll be fine. You have a job to do."

When Josh raised his head, Tyler gripped his hand tightly. He shut his eyes tightly and concentrated, his whole body starting to convulse. This wasn't supposed to be a painful process, but because of his wound, Tyler started to scream in pain as his power transferred from his body, to Josh's.

Josh felt something more than Sko begin to flow through his veins, and his body shook - not as much as Tyler's, but it shook. He felt frozen in place; for a second, he couldn't move his hands, arms, or feet, and all he could hear was Tyler screaming in pain, as tears of exhaustion fell down the man's face.

The process was over in a matter of seconds, but it felt like hours. Josh took a deep breath, and looked to his right at Tyler who was already fast asleep, a few leftover twitches still making him seem more awake than he actually was.

There was a rush that flew quickly through Josh's bones, and suddenly he had a newfound sense of purpose. He looked down at Tyler and kissed his forehead, before getting up and heading right back to the control room. 

He sat down on the throne and placed his hands on the pulsating sphere - it was warm, a bit moist and it took Josh a second to get used to. 

A map popped up in front of him, and he looked at the blinking dots in front of him, zooming in on some, and passing up others.

With great concentration, he sent different manifestations of himself to respond to the ones he knew he wouldn't be able to get to.

....

As often as he could, Josh went into Tyler's bedroom to check up on him. He was always in the same position - one arm hanging over the side of his bed, and one arm on the upper part of his chest, and his head was always facing the same direction: towards the door, as if he was waiting for Josh.

But he knew he wasn't. Becuase unconscious people didn't wait.

Sometimes Josh would shake Tyler's arm, just to see if he would wake up. He wouldn't, but Josh liked to think that he could see him stirring behind his eyelids. 

Josh would wait a few moments to see if he would wake up, but when he didn't, he would sigh and get up from the bed, heading back to the control room to distract himself.

....

32 and a half hours later, Tyler was still asleep. 

Josh lifted Tyler shirt and checked the wound. It was still healing - slower than a small wound would, but still faster than a human's wound would. It had gotten significantly smaller, and it was almost completely healed in some parts. There was still a large gap in the middle of Tyler's chest that made Josh sick, but he was at least glad it was healing at all.

It had been a full 48 hours before Josh got up from the throne and sighed deeply, heading into Tyler's bedroom for the second time within the hour. 

He froze in the doorway when he saw the man laying there with his eyes open, blinking lazily up at the ceiling. 

"Oh, thank God," Josh said, releasing a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in. 

Tyler turned towards him and held his arms out silently. Josh came forward and laid down carefully on the bed right beside Tyler who held him tightly. 

He sighed deeply and spoke with a hoarse voice, "I missed you."

Josh chuckled, "How could you miss me? You were asleep the whole time."

Tyler shrugged, "Don't know. I just know that I really wanted to see you when I woke up."

Josh smiled sweetly and tucked himself closer to Tyler, burying his head in the other man's neck.

"I really, really missed you," Josh admitted softly.

Tyler smoothed his hand up and down Josh's back, "I know. I'm glad to be awake."

"I'm glad you're awake, too," Josh said, bring his lips up to connect to Tyler's for only a second.

They cuddled close to each other, and for a good few minutes neither of them said anything. Enjoying each other's company was all either of them needed for the moment. Tyler had only really been asleep for two days in The Overworld time, but it still seemed like an eternity to the both of them. Josh was almost wanted to cry with relief when he saw that Tyler had finally woken up.

Suddenly, Tyler broke the silence, "I think I'm gonna need to find a new messenger."

Josh laughed loudly, his eyes crinkling in the way he knew Tyler was fond of. 

Tyler laughed too, but quickly sucked in a sharp breath.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked, immediately bring himself up to face Tyler.

Tyler nodded, "I'm fine. Just still in pain."

"Do you need to rest a little longer?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I think so. Can you stay with me for a little bit?"

"Of course," Josh responded. 

Tyler sighed deeply and held onto Josh more tightly.

"How was the world while I was gone?" Tyler asked.

"It was fine," Josh replied, "But it wasn't the same. The world needs you."

Tyler chuckled, "Well, I hope the world can deal without me for a few more hours."

Josh extended his neck up to kiss Tyler's chin, and they both were smiling softly to themselves.

....

Although Tyler woke up at the 48 hour mark, he wasn't okay to walk until the 53 hour mark, and even then, he couldn't use any Sko that still rested inside of him. 

He wasn't ready to take his powers back just yet, and Josh told him to take as much time as he needed.

And he did.

Because it was a total of 102 hours after he had been shot that he held tightly onto Josh's hand and asked for his powers back.

Josh easily relented the position.

A light was back behind Tyler's eyes, that Josh felt bad for not realizing it had left his eyes in the first place.

When Tyler sat at his throne again and placed his hands on the sphere, he looked at home, and Josh stood next to him, a smile on his face.

He couldn't help but be greatful that all of those hours ago, a very different young man lit ten candles in his bedroom and asked to speak with the Grim Reaper.

And when Tyler looked at him with _that_ look on his face, he knew he had made the right decision. He knew this where he belonged.

Not necessrily in The Underworld itself - he could be anywhere in the universe. As long as Tyler was next to him, he knew he belonged.

It was a good feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! This story took me awhile, yikes. I hope you all liked it.
> 
> Please, leave some feedback! I'm trying to grow as a writer, and would LOVE to know what you thought.
> 
> Thank you again. My tumblr is Clinicallyforgotten if you're interested.  
> Stay alive, friends.
> 
> (Title inspired by _A Match Into Water_ by Pierce the Veil)


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